Regular Flight Hacks readers will know Premium Economy redemptions are one of the biggest wastes of airline frequent flyer points. But following the success of Emirates’ Premium Economy product launch, which is currently fitted to just six Airbus A380s, we thought it time to delve a little deeper into the Gulf carrier’s latest cabin class.
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Emirates President Sir Tim Clark said the airline noticed a tremendously positive response from passengers since introducing new seating in January 2021.
“As with everything we do, Emirates Premium Economy will be exceptional in its class, with minute attention given to every aspect of the customer experience,” he said.
This November, Emirates will begin to install the product on 67 Airbus A380 and 53 Boeing 777 jets. The airline expects a total of 126 aircraft to be fitted with Premium Economy at the conclusion of its programme, with seats seen on Australian routes from 1 June 2022.
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In this post:
What To Expect From Emirates Premium Economy
As with most Emirates seating, Premium Economy offers a signature experience in a class of its own with improved seating, added legroom and quality service. On a four-class A380, the Premium Economy cabin can be found at the front of the main deck with 56 seats in 2-4-2 configuration. On Boeing 777 aircraft, up to 24 Premium Economy seats will be installed in a dedicated section between Business and Economy.
Here’s what you can expect when travelling with Emirates in Premium Economy:
- Dedicated check-in for customers departing Dubai
- Luxurious seating with plush leather and wood panel finishing plus adjustable headrests, calf rests and footrests for additional comfort
- Generous legroom at up to 40 inches pitch, 19.5 inches width 8 inches of recline
- In-seat power at charging points
- Soft blankets made from recycled plastic bottles, plus a generously sized pillow
- Complimentary amenity kits in reusable and sustainable bags
- Improved dining experience served on chinaware and accompanied by stainless steel cutlery wrapped in a linen napkin
- Improved drinks menu that includes a selection of beverages including premium wines and liqueurs
- Unmatched entertainment of up to 5,000 channels of music, movies, TV and news
Emirates Premium Economy Bound For Australia
Emirates operates between its Dubai hub and Sydney and Melbourne with twice-daily A380 flights, plus a single daily flight to Brisbane. The airline also offers flights from Perth to Dubai with a daily Boeing 777-300ER service now up and running.
Being Emirates’ third-largest destination for A380 operations, Australia will become a key hub for Premium Economy, as it is retrofitted across the fleet. Customers will have the option of Premium Economy seating between Dubai and Sydney for bookings from 1 June 2022, with availability opening up from 1 August 2022.
In addition, you’ll find Premium Economy on other high-traffic routes including those to London and Paris from August, with Christchurch coming online from December.
Booking Emirates Premium Economy On Points
With seats a cut above Economy, your first question might be, “How can I fly on Emirates Premium Economy for less?”
Airlines love to bump on a disproportionate premium for what is not necessarily much of an upgrade into Premium Economy. Sometimes you can pay double or even triple the Economy cost for an extra few inches of legroom, no added width, no lounge access and the same food and beverage. While Emirates’ offering looks fantastic, it’s still something to bear in mind.
For now, Emirates isn’t selling Premium Economy as its own cabin departing Australia, nor is it offering Skywards redemptions. Of course, the Emirates/Qantas partnership will allow Emirates Premium Economy redemptions using Qantas Points. You’ll need 93,500 Qantas Points to get from Sydney to Dubai, but keen travellers will note just 21% more points allows travel in Emirates Business Class on the same route at 119,200 Qantas Points. Considering the marginal points increase is for an AU$8500+ Business Class ticket, we’d recommend saving a few extra points for an Emirates Business redemption.
Summing Up: My Take
Emirates’ Premium Economy cabin looks wonderful and appears to strike a good balance between Economy and Business. The new class is a welcome enhancement to Emirates’ worldwide operations.
I will be interested to see how Emirates’ cash pricing stacks up when launched in June, as well as redemption costs via Skywards Miles. For now, I’ll be holding off on burning Qantas Points for Emirates Premium Economy as I can’t see the value when an extra 25K points is all it takes to redeem Business Class on the same flight.
I’m looking for flights from cardiff to australia in December but he’ll expensive I bet this is even more expensive but I did travel with Emirates 6 years ago to see my son I loved every minute of the flight
Would love to fly to the US in Emirates premium economy!!!
Interested in flights to Perth in August 2023